Persistent Thermal Fuse Problem

A little repair history:

  1. October, 2007 - Had to replace circuit board - Thermal fuse OK. Washer runs OK

  2. Novemebr, 2007 - Had to replace pump/motor asm. One motor winding shorted, lowering coil resistance but did not open winding to infinite resistance. Tough to diagnose. Thermal fuse (original) still OK. Washer runs OK

  3. January, 2008 - Had to replace thermal fuse. Your advice at that time was to check running current. I don’t have an AC ammeter, but since the motor was new, I assumed it’s current draw would be OK. Washer runs OK

  4. July, 2008 - thermal fuse blew again. When replaced, washer runs OK.

Now my question(?) - Basically, what’s going on here? More specifically, what can I do to prevent future blown (or is it overheated) fuses? I realize I should check the AC current, but what can I do if it is too high?

Appreciate any thoughts

Dave

You might want to wire in a 1000 joule surge protector.

Very interesting - The day before the washer stopped (in mid cycle), I had a Square D SDSA1175 Whole House Surge Protector installed at the box where the power comes into my house. We have had numerous electronic failures here due to power surges/lightening/etc (we live in the boonies) The day the washer died we had an very severe electrical storm, however, the Sqaure D thing did not activate. Anyway, its General Specifications are:

Product Catalog No. SDSA1175
Max Surge Current 36 kA/Phase
Housing Rating Type 4X
Product Weight .525 lb
Connection Method Parallel, #14 AWG Stranded Wire
Thermal Fusing Yes
Operating Temperature -40° to +160°F (-40° to +70°C)
Operating Frequency 50/60 Hz
Diagnostics Green Status LED
Product Standards UL 1449-2nd Ed, cUL, ANSI/IEEE C62.11
Surge Arrester/TVSS

I wondred if an additional surge protector on the washer would help. Really appreciate the suggestion, and I would also appreciate your opinion about the whole situation.
Thx again
Dave